Shrimp, Pearls and All That Lies Between: Managing the Blue Economy
Scharada Dubey
Author and Communication Consultant
Key Highlights
- Since aquaculture was welcomed as a sunrise sector with great potential, we have not been able to develop it as a significant sector enriching the lives of people.
- It is clear that available laws must be enforced with greater vigour to control unviable and unchecked fisheries and aquaculture.
- The PMMSY targets for 2025 bring hope, but need to be measured against previous targets set, and not achieved.
- Marine Spatial Planning, training, support, and capacity building of communities are important elements in the management of the blue economy.
- The selection and diversification of candidate species is crucial from an environment perspective, and over-dependence on a particular species has been an obstacle to the growth of aquaculture.
What is the important learning we can focus on for the development of the blue economy?
How do we sustain and improve on India’s global position as a leading producer of aquaculture?
If we stop to consider how important aquaculture is to the Indian economy, it is surprising that it does not feature in the public discourse like other aspects of agriculture or the food supply chain. Our country is second only to China in global aquaculture production, and approximately 74% of India’s fish supply came from aquaculture in 2019-20. While the Covid years impacted aquaculture through the shortage of seeds and feed due to restrictions on transport and movement, subsequent years have shown a return to more robust numbers of production.
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Scharada Dubey
Author and Communication Consultant
Scharada Dubey is an author of narrative non-fiction and children’s books. ‘Portraits from Ayodhya: Living India’s Contradictions’ (2010) and ‘M for Minority: Muslims in #NewIndia’ (2020) are among the books she has written on contemporary India. She also works on writing partner projects, and connects with listeners through her show ‘Yes, Aunty! The Scharada Dubey Podcast’. Scharada lives and works in Bangalore.